She gave him a hesitant smile. “Why are you being so nice?”
“Nice? I don’t believe that’s how I’d define the comment I made to you earlier. It was most unkind, and I’m sorry if I hurt you in any way as a result.”
She glanced in his direction before returning her attention to some far-off point in the distance. “Thank you,” she said. “It was rather unexpected considering what a wonderful time we shared last night.”
“I just didn’t want any of my friends to look at you the way I knew they would when they saw you in that gown. You look lovely in it,” he hastily added. “But it’s also rather revealing, and, well, to be perfectly honest, I would prefer that if you decide to wear it again in the future you do so for my benefit alone.”
She drew a deep breath. “It was entirely with you in mind that I put it on,” she admitted. “I was hoping that you might approve.”
What the devil? Was she trying to seduce him then? It certainly sounded as if she’d just declared herself ready to entertain his desires. He couldn’t help but smile at the notion. Perhaps they’d sojourn in bed more quickly than he’d anticipated. “I can’t deny that I do. For in truth, you look ravishing,” he told her. He was anxious now to make her understand his reasoning. “What worries me is that when your neckline becomes so dangerously low other men have no choice but to let their minds wander. Do you understand?”
She nodded faintly beside him. “I’m terribly sorry, William. I hadn’t considered it. You must think me quite gauche.”
“Not at all, my dear. In fact, I think you’re the loveliest woman I’ve ever seen.”
She responded with a warm smile, the sort he’d been longing for, and he felt his heart swell. But then she frowned and asked, “Why is it that you don’t despise me, William? Most men in your situation would, and yet here you are not only complimenting me but also being so undeniably kind.”
He knew she had a point. He knew that most men of his acquaintance would very likely have put her six feet under by now. However, he’d always considered himself to be far more reasonable and level headed than most, and, considering that he’d meant to marry somebody anyway and hadn’t been in love with Lady Annabelle, it no longer made much difference to him who his wife was as long as she was pleasant, intelligent, and appealing enough to attract his attention.
Lucy certainly seemed to fit all of those qualifications rather nicely, more nicely than Lady Annabelle ever would have done, because as it happened, Lady Annabelle was precisely the sort of typical socialite he’d given a wide berth for so long. She’d merely been a little less vexing on the ears than the rest.
Lucy, on the other hand . . . the edge of his mouth slipped upward into a helpless smile. She was far from ordinary. “Upon reflection, I’ve decided that you might not be so bad after all. You didn’t steal me away from a woman I was in love with. In fact, if I recall, you made a point of ensuring that you wouldn’t be doing so. No hearts were broken as a consequence of your actions and, in truth, you’re beginning to grow on me a little.”
A pained expression flickered behind her eyes. “And yet you know it’s not that simple, William. You know that for me marrying you had a purpose.” She took a deep breath and then expelled it. “You’re honorable to a fault, and I . . . to be perfectly honest, I don’t believe that I deserve you.”
He was quiet for a moment. Then, halting, he turned to look her straight in the eye. “I don’t suppose that you’d be willing to share your reasoning with me? As it is, I suspect that it must concern a matter of great importance. You told me that you needed my help, but how am I to help you if you won’t trust me? You’re my wife, Lucy, and come what may, I’ll stand by your side—of that you have my word, as a gentleman.”
In spite of her qualms, Lucy had, after much reflection, decided that it would probably be best to tell him everything—to let him in and share her troubled past with him, no matter how difficult it would be for her to do so.
Her husband had made it clear to her that he valued the truth. What better way for her to make a real attempt at narrowing the distance between them than to be completely honest? She steeled herself for a moment. He had told her that he would stand by her, but he had done so blindly, and while she did not doubt that he would keep his word, there was still a very real possibility that he would not only be furious with her but that he might also demand an annulment on the basis of fraud once the truth was out. It was a chance she would have to take. “Very well,” she conceded, “but you must promise not to tell another soul.”
He placed his hand over his heart. “You have my word on it.”
“Swear it,” she insisted, “as a gentleman.”
“I swear to you on my honor, Lucy, that whatever you are about to tell me shall follow me to the grave.”
She nodded, satisfied with the knowledge that he would keep silent, and recommenced walking while he followed, keeping pace. “Lady Ridgewood has been my guardian for the past six years. I came to her rather unexpectedly after my parents…” She drew a deep breath as the memories were once again released from where she usually kept them hidden in the deepest recesses of her mind. “I’m not who you think I am, William. My real name isn’t Lucy Blackwell. It’s Lucy Etheredge.” Turning her head to look at him, she noticed the look of surprise on his face. It was swiftly followed by one of puzzlement.
“Why does that name sound so familiar?”
“My father was the Earl of Hampstead, British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. He was a good man, William, and my mother…you would have loved her, I’m sure. She…” Words failed her. She choked back a sob.
“What happened, Lucy?” William looked ashen, as if he didn’t really desire an answer to the question he’d just posed.
She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. “I’ll never forget the fear in Mama’s eyes the last time I saw her. I didn’t understand it to begin with. I was so confused. Before I knew what was going on, we were running through our house in a desperate attempt to escape the men chasing us.” She took a deep breath to force away the painful tightening of her throat. “I was the only one who got away. My parents were both killed—my mother stabbed in the chest before my very eyes.”
William halted in his tracks, and she turned to face him. His eyes were stricken, mirroring the pain that she felt once more as it clutched at her insides. “You . . .” Speech seemed to fail him, and he closed his eyes against the awfulness of what she’d just told him before making another attempt. “You witnessed your mother’s murder?”
She couldn’t look at him without falling to pieces before his eyes, so she merely nodded in response. A heartbeat later, she felt his hand close around hers, felt herself being pulled back against him, his strong arms encircling her and cocooning her in his warmth. “I’m so very sorry,” he whispered.
His kindness sank below her skin where it touched her soul and squeezed her heart. A moment later the dam broke. She could do nothing to still her quaking shoulders or the cries of despair that were only slightly muffled against her husband’s chest. He drew her closer, kissed the top of her head, but said nothing more. He just held her until the tears had passed. How she’d been so fortunate to marry a man as kind as he was beyond her.
On a shaky sigh, she pulled away and looked up at him through red-rimmed eyes. “I’m sorry to have involved you in all of this, to have burdened you with this pain that I carry.” She took a quivering breath. “I’m sorry I lied.”
He stared at her for a long moment. “You silly woman,” he eventually said, drawing her against him once more and hugging her fiercely. “I’m honored to have won your trust. I only wish that you would have told me sooner. As for your true identity…” Lucy anxiously bit her bottom lip. “I must admit I’m happy to hear that you come from a good family, as sorry as I am for your loss. But just as I have promised to guard your secrets, you must swear to me that you will never deceive me again. Is that clear?”
Easing away from him a little, Lucy met his gaze. “On my mother’s soul.” She hesitated a moment before asking, “You do realize what this means, don’t you?”
He didn’t pretend not to, for he quickly nodded his response.
Unable to discern his thoughts, she quietly asked, “Do you wish for an annulment?”
He paused, as if considering all that she had told him, then tilted his head a little and smiled. “And ruin the chance for a perfect marriage?”
Lucy could scarcely believe her ears. “Perfect?”
His smile broadened. “Why yes. The way I see it, I am married to the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, a woman whose company I’m beginning to grow quite fond of, and on top of that, I’ve also been offered a rather grand adventure.”
“I…”
“Isn’t that the real reason for your keen interest in visiting Constantinople? To find the men who did this?”
She drew back a little in order to meet his eyes, a little stunned by his astuteness and somewhat chagrined that she hadn’t expected him to discern as much. After all, it was his skill at deduction that had led her to him in the first place. “Yes,” she told him firmly, “I mean to see justice served.”
William knew better than to argue. Any attempt he might make to stop her would only produce a greater rift between them, or, worse, she might do something stupid like run off, thinking herself capable of settling the matter alone. He couldn’t allow that happen. “Then let me help you as you intended for me to do.” After all, Trenton and Ryan had eventually supported their wives in their endeavors, as unconventional as they had been, and everything had worked out well for them.
A grateful smile of relief warmed her features. “Thank you, my lord, I…”
“Please don’t call me that again.” His tone was quite serious. “I hope that we’re familiar enough with each other now for you to call me William.”
Her smile widened. “William.”
The name rolled off her tongue with such tenderness that he practically felt his heart melt. Perhaps his father had been right after all. Lucy was precisely the right woman to grab his interest—and keep it. She was stronger than he’d thought, having kept her anger and pain tucked away for so long. And as it turned out she had her reasons for trapping him, reasons that were not only honorable but also commendable. It must have taken tremendous courage for her to do what she’d done. He couldn’t fault her for it—not any longer, not after everything she’d just told him.
Casting a wary eye in her direction, he recalled the kiss they’d shared a short while earlier. An annulment indeed! Even now that such a thing was possible, he’d fight it with every fiber of his being. He wanted her physically, but he also felt an overwhelming need to protect her for the rest of his life. The revelation shook him to his core. He could scarcely believe it himself, but there it was: he wanted his wife, body and soul, and could only dare hope that once all of this was behind them she might want him in the same way.